Fix staff pay to turn NHS around, says Unison

Following Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s remarks today (6th January 2025) on the NHS at the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre in Epsom, trade union Unison has called for Government to address low pay in order to tackle hospital backlogs.

In his speech, Starmer cited the need for change, and particularly the use of technology, as being key to fixing the health system.

Starmer said: “2025 is about rebuilding Britain, and rebuilding our NHS is the cornerstone of that.

“We will protect the principles we all cherish and that you all work to every day.

“Care – free at the point of use, treatment according to need. Key principles.

“But to catapult the service into the future we need an NHS reformed, from top to bottom.

“Millions of extra appointments signed, sealed and delivered with the plan we are launching today. National renewal in action…A National Health Service that treats patients more quickly. That is closer to their lives.

“Gives them a level of convenience that they take for granted in nearly every other service they use every day.”

However, Helga Pile, head of health at Unison, said: “Staff are the bedrock of the NHS and key to turning around its fortunes.

“Ministers know that all the extra appointments and other ways of increasing capacity won’t happen on their own.

“Health workers have been taken for granted for years by governments and little they’ve heard from the Prime Minister on his plans will encourage them to feel differently.

“It’s not just the state of services and the quality of care that are making staff feel so low.

“Many are at breaking point as they’ve too few colleagues to get the job done and they keep seeing those they work with quit for pastures new.

“That’s why getting decisions right on pay, and recruiting and retaining skilled, experienced workers must be at the heart of any recovery plan for the NHS.

“Without proper investment in staff, there can be no world-class NHS, no improvements in patient care, reduction in the backlog or increased efficiency of services. Further delays in getting a grip on the social care crisis won’t help.

“Ministers should do the right thing and convene talks now with unions about April’s wage rise and fixing the problems with the NHS pay structure.

“A credible plan must also be agreed for growing the workforce needed to meet the public’s expectation of quality, timely care.”